The National Association of Teachers (ANAPRO) on Monday, 12 October, denounced the persistence of unpaid overtime debts — some accumulated since 2022 — and criticised insufficient investment in education in Mozambique. The organisation also pointed to shortages of school materials, a reduction in teacher recruitment, and a lack of infrastructure as obstacles to improving working conditions and the quality of teaching.

The concerns were raised on the occasion of Teachers' Day, according to Lusa. ANAPRO spokesperson Marcos Mulima expressed the frustration of the teaching profession over delayed payments and a lack of dialogue with the government.

The association stated that overtime payments remain outstanding in full, despite assurances from the executive. It also revealed that it had requested an audit from the Administrative Tribunal into the accounts related to the settlement of these debts, without having received a response.

Mulima criticised the government's repeated promises to regularise the outstanding amounts subject to the availability of state finances, arguing that the government has found resources for other expenditures.

"Teachers have nothing to ask for — they have every right to demand that legality be upheld. We are not engaged in a process of begging, and if the Constitution of the Republic is respected, then labour rights must be respected," he said.

In June, the government announced it had settled overtime arrears for 2022 and part of those for 2023, while acknowledging that difficulties persisted in some provinces. For 2024, the announced debt stood at approximately 2.2 billion meticais, with payment to be made gradually in line with the availability of state finances.

Beyond the payment arrears, ANAPRO criticised the reduction in teacher recruitment and the failure to build schools in some areas despite growth in the school-age population.

The organisation also highlighted a shortage of teaching materials, particularly textbooks. "We have serious problems with schoolbooks and we still do not understand why this happens or why things have to occur in this way," Mulima said.

The spokesperson further pointed to difficulties in accessing medical and pharmaceutical assistance, despite deductions made from teachers' salaries for that purpose, and called for the creation of a dedicated entity to manage the relevant funds.

For its part, the National Organisation of Teachers (ONP) acknowledged the shortage of school materials and called for improvements in the economic, housing, and professional conditions of the teaching profession.

"We urge the government to remain focused on the progressive promotion of professional careers, the payment of overtime, and the allocation of more resources for continuous training," said ONP Secretary-General Teodoro Muidumbe.

During the commemorations, President Daniel Chapo acknowledged the challenges related to career management, professional development, and the processing of overtime payments.

"These matters require responsible, transparent, and sustainable responses, grounded in dialogue and the pursuit of joint solutions," he said.

The head of state also acknowledged that growth in the school-age population demands more classrooms, teachers, and teaching materials. He reaffirmed the commitment to improving infrastructure and strengthening teacher training, while the profession's representative organisations continued to press for concrete measures to regularise payments and secure better conditions for teaching.